… 'Silver Carpet' is a fast-growing spreading perennial with furry silvery gray leaves that grows 12 inches tall. … full sun in most, well-drained soil. It makes a perfect edging, and visitors will be tempted to reach down to pet the soft woolly leaves. Plants look the best in the spring and early summer, but start to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… This cultivar can grow to a large shrub when mature (up to 50‘ in height with a 40’ spread). Female plants produce red, fleshy, single-seeded fruit instead of cones (these are poisonous). This is a cross between Japanese yews ( T. cuspidata) ; and English yews ( T. baccata ). It prefers …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… Q. I received a cyclamen as a gift, and I’m not sure how to take care of it. A. Cyclamen are popular gift plants because of their colorful blooms, … and care, they can be kept blooming for several months and grown as indoor houseplants to bloom again next winter. Cyclamen plants need to be kept in a bright, cool location away from direct sunlight. One to two hours of direct sunlight is acceptable in the winter months as long as they do not become too warm. Temperatures of 60 to …
Type: Plant Info
… Q: I am storing summer bulbs for the first time — is there anything I need to do for them during the winter? A: Bulbs, tubers, and corms need … rot or spotting should be discarded immediately. All bulbs should be spaced far enough apart to allow for adequate air circulation. Stored dahlias should be plump. If they are severely …
Type: Plant Info
… of the founders of the Royal Horticultural Society in the 18th century, forsythias are medium to large shrubs that produce four- petaled clusters of bell-shaped flowers in the axils of the stiff, rough branches. These Asian shrubs are very adaptable to poor soils and varying moisture, but the flower buds may be tender on older cultivars. Pruning is best done immediately after flowering, giving new growth time to form flower buds. Never shear …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… 'Sagae' is a large (3 feet tall with a similar spread) hosta with a vase-shaped habit. Its foliage is … the Year for 2000 by the American Hosta Growers Association. Hostas are shade tolerant, easy to grow, and long-lived. Although they produce flowers held high above the foliage on long stalks … are also common; new introductions abound. Hosta cultivars range in size from several inches to several feet; it may take 3-8 years for hostas to reach their full size. They all prefer …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… change color depending on the season: In early summer they are white, by mid-summer they begin to turn pink, and by fall they will have turned ruby red. That's why this plant is called 'Ruby Slippers!' Ruby Slippers oak-leaf hydrangea is derived from a shrub that is native to the moist woods of eastern north America. This plant has a dwarf form only reaching three to …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… The yellow-green foliage mottled in dark green is attractive year round. In spring, and again in fall, spikes of exotic lady-slipper shaped … well above the foliage. The flowers feature an upper or dorsal sepal ranging from white to green with distinctive darker green veins. The 'pouch' can range from dull to somewhat lustrous brown-purple in color. Flanking the pouch on either side are two wide …
Type: Garden Guide Plant
… are the features most gardeners request. And yet the gradual, long-lasting autumn leaf change is one of the most beautiful displays in the plant world. It lasts longer than any spring flower … time of year is seeing how plants play off each other; how color combinations shift from year to year; how much beauty is to be found in the subtle combinations as well as the more brilliant shows. The following …
Type: Plant Info
… Mid- to end of August is the best time to seed bare areas of lawn, overseed thinning grass, or lay down sod. When seeding lawns, use grass seed appropriate to your site. The best choice for most lawns in northern Illinois is a mix of Kentucky blue grass, …
Type: Plant Info
